铁仔叶杜鹃 tie zi ye du juan

Rhododendron caespitulum P. C. Tam.

Small shrubs, ca. 1.5 m tall; young shoots sparsely setose or pubescent, later subglabrous. Leaves all similar. Petiole 2–3 mm, densely coarsely ferruginous appressed setose; leaf blade thickly leathery, elliptic, rarely obovate, 0.6–0.8 × 0.3–0.5 cm; base cuneate; margin slightly revolute, with red-brown punctate glands; apex acute, obtusely pointed and hard; both surfaces subglabrous; lateral veins prominent. Inflorescence 2- or 3-flowered. Pedicel ca. 0.4 cm, densely coarsely ferruginous-setose-strigose; calyx lobes obtuse, small, outer surface coarsely setose-strigose; corolla funnel-campanulate, purple, without flecks, ca. 1 cm; tube cylindric, ca. 4 × 2 mm; lobes slightly spreading, oblong or oblong-ovate, ca. 0.6 × 0.25 cm, glabrous, apex subrounded; stamens 5, unequal, 1.2–1.4 cm, exserted, filaments linear, glabrous; ovary ovoid, 2–3 mm, densely coarsely ferruginous-setose-strigose; style 1.2–1.5 cm, slightly curved, coarsely appressed setose below. Capsule ovoid, ca. 4 × 1.5–2 mm, densely ferruginous-setose-strigose. Fl. Apr–May, fr. Jul–Aug.

Forests, mountain ridges; ca. 1800 m. S Guangxi.